Internal-combustion engine.



A. E. RUEIHEH.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24. I917.

Patented. May 28, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET1- WITNESSES A. E. RUETHER.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APH.24. I917.

Patented May 28, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

ENVENTOR WITNESSES ATTo R N EY A. E. RUETHER.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24. 1911.

Patented May 28,1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- INVENTOR ALBERT 1E. WHETHER, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESUTA.

I mrmnan-connusrron nn'cnvn.

specification of letters Patent. I Patented May 2%,1911fi,

7 Application filed April 24, 1917. Serial No. 1%,214L.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l[, Anew 1E, Rinn'rmn, a citizen of the United States, resldmg at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and b State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combus- 7 l tion engines of the four-cycle multiple cylinder double acting type. The invention relates more particularly to the means for controlling the admission of the explosive mixture to the combustion chambers of the lib gases therefrom. p

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement of ports and valves for the cylinders of the en me, there being one valve controlling the inlet and exhaust of one series of combustion chambers, and another valve controlling the inlet and exhaustof the other series of combustion chambers, and the intake and exhaust ports being so arranged with relation to the cylinders that said ports are intermittently covered and uncovered by the pistons, in addition to being closed and opened by the valves.

Another object of the invention is to so arrange the valves and the intake and exhaust ports that the valves are protected and shielded from the more intense heat which occurs immediately after ignition takes place, thereby preventing the valves from overheating. g

Another object of the invention is to obtain greater power eficiency by providing against the loss of compression, such result bein obtained by the means controlling the admission of the charges and the exhaust of the burned gases.

Another object in view is to provide a novel arrangement of multiple valve casing,

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had access to without disturbing the remainder of the valve casing sections.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arran herein fully described, 1lustrated and claimed. a

la the accompanying drawings: Figure l is an end elevation of the imtt pmved cylinders and the exhaust ofv the burned enabling any particular valve port to be ement of parts,

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section throu h the same taken diametrically of one o the cylinders. A

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevationshowlng the manifold arrangement. to

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing. the sectional valve chamber arran ement.

1g. 5 is a horizontal section in line with the axls of the upper valve. I (it Fig. 6 is an elevation of one valve seat.

The engine illustrated in the accompanymg drawmgs is shown as of the four-cylinder, four-cycle type but it will of course be apparent that the engine may comprise any desired number of cylinders, two or more.

The cylinders are cast in block with separable heads also cast in' block, 1 designating the block of cylinders, 2 the outer multiple cylinder head and 3 the inner multiple cylin-' der head, the battery or series of cylinders belng thus formed in three pieces, the main cylinder block in which the combustion chambers are primarily open at both ends, and the outer and inner head blocks 2 and 3. All of the members 1, 2 and 3 are water jacketed as indicated at 4;, thejackets communicatlng with each other, the water bein taken in at the inlet connection 4: and passing out at the outlet connection 5. 1

6 designates the crank case shown as divlded at 7 into separable sections secured together byfastening means 8. 9 designates a bottom plate ,detachably secured to the crank case by fastening means 10. In each cylinder 2 is a double headed reciprocatory piston 11 carrying the usual packing rings 12 and having rlgidly connected thereto a iston rod 13 which passes through a st ng box pr bushing 14 in the cylinder head 3 and carrles at the crank case end a piston rod pin or ournal 15 mounted in a cross head 16 which moves between cross'head guides 17 interposed between the crank case and the cylinders. 18 designates the crank shaft MA from which a connecting rod 19 extends to the respective cross head pin 15. lhe pistons 11 of all of the cylinders are connected I to the common crank shaft 18.

Each cylinder is provided with two sets of ports, there being one set for each combustron chamber 20 and 21 and each set compris mg an intake port 22 and an exhaust port 23 both the intake port and the exhaust port of each set being controlled by a single valve 2A tilt or as the case may be. Each of the valves 24 and 25 extends along the whole series \of' cylinders and controls the intake and exhaust ports thereof. Each of said valves is cylinto the intake ports and exhaust the burned gases from the cylinders. The intake and exhaust ports of each set are arranged side by side as indicated in Fig. 4 and are located at such a distance from the ad acent cylinder head that, both of said ports are covered by the respective piston 11.before 1t reaches the limit of its movement. The piston 11 is shown at one limit of its movement in Fig. 2 in which it will be seen that the lower head of the piston has moved considerably beyond the inner end of the port 22 or 23 as the case may be. Therefore both the inlet and exhaust ports of the combustion chamber 21 are closed at such tlme. ThlS serves to maintain the engine at a hlgh working efficiency even though the valves 24 and 25 may have been subjected to Wear and would otherwise permit loss or leakage of compression. Furthermore, at the time when the.valves would otherwise be sub ected to the greatest heat, the intake and exhaust ports are closed by the piston 11 and the heat cannot reach the valves until the plston has uncovered the intake and exhaust ports.

Each of the valves 24 and 25 is mounted 1n 2; hearing or bushing 27 of tubular formaion, contained partly in a recess 28 of corresponding shape formed in the engine block 1, and partly in a sectlonal and dlv ded part 29 of the valve casing. The part 29 1s d1- vided along the longitudinal and transverse lines 30 and 31 (see Fig. 4) into a plurallty of rectangular plate-like sections 32 and these sections are secured to the engine block by bolts or cap screws 33 or the equivalent thereof. Some of these fasteners 33 are inserted-through holes formed entirely in each section 32, while others are inserted through holes formed in the meeting edges of the sections 32, such arrangement requirmg a less number of bolts and therefore less work 'in removing any particular section 32 to get access to the intake and exhaust ports. A considerable saving of time is thus effected when repair work and cleaning become necessary.

The valves 24 and 25 are provided with extended shafts 34 and 35 which project beyond the end of the block of cylin they have fast thereon bevel gears 36 and 37 which mesh with other bevel ears 38 and 39 shown as fast on a common s eeVe 40 secured by means 41 to a rotary valve actuating shaft 42 which extends in the direction of the crank case where it is provided with another bevel gear 43 meshing with a bevel gear 44 carried by a large gear 45 which meshes with and is driven by a gear 46 on ers where the crank shaft 18, the gear-45 being twice the size of the gear 46 in order that the valves may be rotated at one-half the speed of the engine shaft, this bein necessary to cause the engine to operate on t e four-cycle principle. The gears at the upper end of the shaft 42 are intended to be inclosed within a gear case 47, a similar or larger gear case 48 inclosing the gears 43, 44, 45 and 46 and also another gear- 49 driven by the gear 45 and intended to be used for driving a fan-belt pulley, a magneto, a generator,or any other device used in the engine equipment.

The pin 15 is formed with a central longitudinal bore 50 to receive oil from the crank case, the oil passage or bore 50 intersecting and communicating with another passage 51 extending centrally and longitudinally of the piston rod 13 and the piston 11 where it is intersected by radiating oil distributing passages or ports 52 which lead outwardly to the eriphery of the piston so as to furnish lu ricating oil to the contacting surface of the piston and cylinder wall.

A single carbureter is intended to be used in connection with the engine above described, said carbureter not being shown but being designed to be connected to an intake pipe 53 which leads to a manifold 54 the legs of which are formed with H-shaped extensions 55 the branches of which lead to the upper and lower sets of intake ports. Two exhaust manifolds 56 are employed for the two sets or series of exhaust ports and said exhaust manifolds will ordinarily be connected to a common exhaust pipe or a muffler' as may be desired.

From t e foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will now be seen that by the specified and illustrated arrangement and location of the intake and exhaust ports of the cylinders, the valves are protected and prevented from overheating, because the orts controlled by said valves are covered y the piston during the initial portion of the firing stroke in each combustion chamber. On account of this double closure for each of the intake and exhaust ports, loss of compression is prevented even though wear may have taken place on the rotary valves or the bushings or bearin in WhlCh they turn. The result is that t edpower efficiency of the enine is maintaine for a lon period of time.

0th cylinder heads are etachable from the block of cylinders thus facilitating repair work and the removal of carbon. The gearing for transmittin motion to the valves is located exterior of the block of cylinders where it is easi y and quickly accessible.

The construction of the engine as a whole is very simple and there are no delicate parts to get out of order, there bein no cam shaft, push rods, push rod bushings,

springe and the like which are a constant source of trouble and require frequent attention.

I claim 1. In a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine, a lock of cylinders, multiple cylinder heads detachably secured. to said block of cylinders and forming combustion chambers at opposite sides of the pistons, said cylinder block being formed with an intake port and an exhaust ort for each combustion chamber arrange at such distances from the cylinder heads as to be covered and uncovered by the respective piston in each complete back and forth movement thereof, rotary valves controlling said intake and exhaust ports-and turning on parallel axes, said valves being geared to and positively driven from the crank shaft, a sectional plate housing in said valves and divided along intersecting longitudinal and transverse lines into series of sections, each sec tion having an intake port and an exhaust port in alinement with the res ctive intake and exhaust ports in the cylin er walls, and means for fastenin the sections of said plate in position ena ling any section to be detached without disturbing the other sec tions.

2. In a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine, a block of cylinders, multiple cylinder heads detachalbly secured to said block of cylinders and forming combustion chambers at opposite sides of the pistons, said cylinder block bein formed with an intake port and an exhaust port for each combustion chamber arranged at such distances from the cylinder heads as to be covered and uncovered by the respective piston in each complete back and forth.

movement thereof, rotary valves controlling said intake and exhaust ports and turning on parallel axes, said valves being geared to and positivel driven from the crank shaft, a sectional p ate housing in said valves and divided along intersecting longitudinal and transverse lines into series of sections, each section having an intake port and an exhaust port in alinement with the respective intake and exhaust ports in the cylinder walls, means for fastening the sections of said plate in osition enablin any section to be detache without disturbing the other sections, the valve driving means comrising bevel gears fast on the shafts of -11 rotary valves, a countershaft perpendicular to the valve shafts and having reversel% facing bevel gears thereon meshing with t e bevel gears on the. valve shafts and motion transmitting means between the crank shaft and said countershaft.

In testimony whereof l a my siat.

ALBERT E. RlUE'lR.

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